1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin operated french fry vending machine for vending french fry potatoes. The machine processes a powdered potato mix into a rehydrated cooked french fried potato.
2. Description of the Related Art
French fried potatoes are very desirable food products which are consumed in huge quantities throughout the world. Their appeal, however, is greatly diminished if the product is not served hot and fresh. Merely reheating a previously cooked french fried potato will result in an unsavory product which is soggy. The consumers of french fried potato products demand consistent quality similar to that which is obtainable from commercial fast food restaurants wherein the french fries are freshly prepared for each order.
The vending machine industry provides a large selection of food stuffs which may be purchased without requiring an on duty attendant or cook at the location. The introduction of the microwave oven has made it possible to greatly expand the selection of vending machine products. However, french fried potatoes when reheated in a microwave oven lose their desired taste, texture and crispiness. A large untapped market exists for providing freshly prepared, hot french fried potatoes at vending machine outlets.
There are a great number of vending machines in operation today. They may be used anywhere from a truck stop to manufacturing plants where cooking facilities are not available on an around-the-clock basis. In order to be profitable the vending machine should require a minimum of care and must consistently offer the same high quality service to the patron. If the machine is labor intensive or is prone to breakdowns, the machine will not be profitable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,267 which issued Feb. 2, 1988 to Galockin et al, shows a french fry food vending machine which has the plurality of frozen food stuff holding compartments in a refrigerated container. As shown, the machine dispenses four different types of food stuffs, each of which must be kept in a refrigerated state prior to cooking. This is a very distinctive drawback in that very few servings may be held in the machine at one time. This necessitates reloading of the machine at frequent intervals.
In Dover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,742 which issued Sep. 22, 1987, the inventor describes prior attempts to develop automatic deep fat cookers. Dover indicates that reconstituting dehydrated products into a dough prior to frying results in a product which is less tolerant to deviations in cooking parameters such as time and temperature. Dover notes that one of the recognized problems in fryer reconstituted products is that the cooking must be very closely controlled to minimize the amount of oil added to the product.
As anyone who has been in the fast food restaurant can attest to, the smell of hot oil can be a distinct disadvantage. Additionally, the hot oil itself must be very closely controlled for safety as well as for the quality control of the cooking.